Amalgamator.



J. P. 11mm & c. c. GLIDDEN.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11. 1914.

1,, 1 23, 1 1 6D Patented Dec 29, 1914.

PDol QZ Ultra srArns PATENT oFFrcE.

JAMES P. DOVEL AnnoHAnLns c.- GLIDDEN, on BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

AMALGAMATQR.

means.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 29, 1914..

Continuation of application Serial No. 728,729, filed October 30, 1912. This application filed May 11, 1914.

Serial No. 837,673.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, J MEs PL DOVEL and CHARLES C. GLIDDEN, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amalgamators, of whichv an effective means 'to catch the gold,thus

concentrated, by means of mercury and consists essentially in the provision ofmeans which will bring the mercury and the concentrated gold into elfective contact and prevent the loss of mercury from the bowl. We have found that this is best effected by providing the bowl with annular grooves adapted to receive the mercury and in providing an amalgamating surface to contact with the mercury in or as it tends to escape from, each groove and also providingcn'oiramah gamated surfaces between thegrooves. As

the mercury in the grooves will flow circumferentially therein, due to its lag, it will tend to globularize and rideover the particles of matter that may collect in the.

grooves. The centrifugal action of the bowl will tend to quickly dislodge from the grooves the globules 1 of mercury, when formed, and let them escape; The amalga-.

mated surfaces, which contact with the mercury in the grooves, constitute the most important factor in preventing glObLllflI'lZtttlOIh and the non-amalgamated surfaces interposed between the grooves are adapted to prevent the mercury spreading out over the face of the bowl and escaping. The arrangement of grooves in the bowl and the character of the amalgamated and nonamalgamated surfaces may be widely varied to suit different operating conditions.

Our invention further comprises the details of. construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments only of our inventlon are illustrated, and in which Figure; 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through our improved concentrator. Fig. 2 1s an enlarged sectional view of part of the bowl showing more clearly the arrangement of amalgam rings in the mercury grooves.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing amalgam riffle plates substituted for the amalgam rings.

Similar reference numerals'refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the forms illustrated, our invention is shown comprising a dished or concave. bowl 1 having a series of annular grooves 2 in its inner face and having secured to the underside of its bottom 3 a boss 4. The tailings or. crushed ore and water pass downwardly centrally into the bowl through a discharge pipe 5 leading from the hopper 6. The bowl is-rotatably supported by a shaft-7 which screws into the boss 4 and turns in bearings 8 and 9 in the stand or support 10 for the apparatus. The shaft 7 has fixed thereon collars 11 which rest upon the bearings 8 and 9 and support the bowl, which is rotated by a pulley 12 keyed to the shaft 7. The bowl.

is disposed within a suitable casing 13 having an opening through which the shaft 7 passes and which is surrounded by a flange 1a to prevent the escape of tailings therethrough as the same pass down along the inclined bottom 15 of the casing and out through the chute 16. This casing 13 is supported by angle irons l7 and l8'which are fastened to the base 10. The top portion of the casing is open so that the action of the ore in the bowl may be watched In each of the grooyesfi we interpos'e an annular ring '21 of silver 'orother metal which will amalgamate, or we. may use metal strips 22 which will Project slightly above the inner face of the bowl-so as to form what we term amalgamated rifiies. The rings and strips are preferably split so that they can be collapsed and inserted in the grooves 2. When the loose ends of the rings or strips'have been forced outwardly until they abut, the rings or strips will be securely held in place-in the grooves and, in the case of the strips, will preferably stand against the outer wall of the groove, leaving the mercury, with which the grooves are filled, exposed therein on the side of the strip where roe it will most effectively act on the ore when arrested in its outward movement by the rifiles. T heinner surface of the bowl itself, or at least that part thereof between the grooves is non-amalgamating material.

In practice, the crushed ore or tailings and Water in the form of sludge move dow'n; by gravity through the pipe-5 and fallrupon the center of the rapidly revolving bowl 1.

The sludge is thereupon immediately acted upon by centrifugal forcewhich moves it outwardly and upwardly in a thin sheet over the grooved surface of the bowl until it is discharged over the peripheryof the bowl when it is caught by the casing 13 and is discharged through the chute16. The centrifugal action also tends to concentrate the heavier particles of, gold against the surface of the bowl. The grooves 2 having the amalgam ring or strip inserted therein and having been filled with mercury, the .sludge will pass successively over the bodies of mercury and the gold concentrated in its under layer will be readily amalgamated by contact with the 'successivebodies of mercury or with the rings or plates 21 and 22. Without the use of the amalgamated rings 21 the.

mercury in' the grooves would tend to form intoglobules and pass out freely with the tailings, while by using these rings they not only more effectively arrest the'particles of gold and cause the amalgamation thereof with the mercury, but they also 'eflectively prevent the globularization ofthe mercury and hence the waste thereof, which would I materially interfere, as has been demonwill contact in any manner with the merstrated by experiments, with the effective or even practical operation of the apparatus.

The important function of the amalgamated surfacesis obtained when the same cury in the grooves, and hence we regard the structure of such/surfaces and the manner of attachment to the bowl as capable of being widely varied and, as before stated, it is not of essential importance that the amalgamated rings or strips should serve the additional function of riffies.

' The means to prevent the globularizationof the mercury in the grooves of a rotating bowl are of peculiar importance as in r0- tating. tables of that character the mercury 'being fluid willtend to circulate in the.

groovesand this tendency increases its liar bility to form in globules and also for the globules to ride over particlesof sand and ore, which latter tendency is prevented where the amalgam plate holds the mercury against globularization and causes it to keep under all the movingv particles which are lighter, thereby effectively displacing them and preventing-the grooves filling up with lightermaterial which would involve an.

immediateand substantial loss in mercury.

The amalgamated surface of the bowl between the grooves prevents the tendency of the mercury to spread from groove to groove and escape.

Without intending to limit ourselves to the details of construction shown, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

tacts and which tends to prevent the globularization of the mercury while in the grooves.

2. An ore concentrator comprising a rotatable concentrating-table having a series of annular grooves formed therein. containing each a body of mercury and disposed V transversely to the line of flow of the material to be treated, the surface of said table over, which the ore passes in moving 'successively over the grooves being formed of non-amalgamated material, and 'means on said table and in contact with said mercury in the grooves, which means is adaptedto' prevent the globularizatio'n of the'mercury in said grooves.

3.-An ore concentrator comprising a retary dished concentrating bowl having'its inclined side surfaceof non-amalgamatedmaterial which is annularly grooved to pro vide a series of spaced ring-shaped troughs for the reception of mercury, therebeing -mercury in said troughs, an amalgamating means on said side surface which are disposed with reference to said troughs to maintain a contact with the mercury therein under operating conditions.- I p 42. An ore concentrator comprising a r0, tatable concentrating-table formed of non amalgamated material and havingv grooves formed therein and disposed transversely said grooves containing a body of mercury, strips of amalgamated metal which are introduced into the body of mercury in said grooves and detachably held in place'in said grooves.

'5. An ore concentrator comprising arotatable concentrating table having a series of annular grooves therein, the walls of which are of non-amalgamatedmaterial, and

,which are filled with mercury, and amalgak mated rings adapted to be inserted in said grooves and frictionally held in place there in, as and for the purposes described.

6. An ore concentrator comprising a rotatable concentratin -table having grooves formed therein-and isposed transversely to 'the line of'flow of the material to be treated,

to the line of flow of'material to be treated,

said grooves havin walls of non-amalgamated material and containing a body of mercury, and a strip 'ofamalgaznated material inserted in said grooves and brought into contact with the mercury, as and for the purposes described.

7. An one concentrator comprisin a rotatable circular concentrating-table o dished form having a series a annular grooves therein, and split amalgam rings set in said grooves and removablyflfixe'd' in position therein. i

8. In an ore concentrator, the combine 7 tion of a rotary. concentrating-table having a a series of grooves therein filled with mercury, and amalgamated lates in said grooves and pro ecting above t e grooves to form riflies.

of a rotary concentrating-table having a series at grooves therein each containing a.

body of mercury, and amalgamated .rlflie Y plates set in said; grooves at the far side.

thereof with reference to the movement of the ore to be concentrated, said plates contacting with the mercury in'their'respective grooves.v e

testimony whereof. we aflix our signatures in presence ofitwowitnesses.

JAMES v P; DOVEL.

CHARLES C. GLIDDEN.

Witnesses:

Nouns: Wansn, R, D. Joniws QN, Jr, 

